Moon's Law (New Moon Wolves 2 ~ Bite of the Moon ~ BBW Romance) (7 page)

"Then explain it to me."

"We’re his prey," Kai said.

A chill went up Kane’s spine. "What the hell does that mean?"

Tao laid a reassuring hand on the sheriff’s shoulder. "What he means is this man is a hunter, and he wants to kill us."

"What is a hunter? You keep using that word like it has a different meaning." Kane looked at the shooter, wondering what his true agenda was.

"There are hunters and
hunters.
This man is from a group of hunters who know what we are. They’ve sworn to kill us all, " said Leo.

"How did he find us? We didn’t even exist a few months ago." Kane scratched the scar that remained from the bite that had turned him. Even with his super werewolf powers, the wound had scarred, and sometimes even tingled and itched. Nick had come at him from the shadows. Looking back, it was obvious the wolf had targeted him specifically as there'd been no reason for him to attack. And damned if he hadn’t caught a break since being bitten.

Looking down at the shooter, Kane wondered if something like their current situation was why Nick had come after him. Had he known he would need someone to throw cases and hide evidence? The thought made Kane's stomach hurt.

Tao shrugged. "I don’t know. Hunters seem to have a sixth sense about us. I sometimes wonder if they have their own magic."

"This one isn’t going to be an issue, at least," Leo said, nudging the shooter with his foot.

"If I can’t arrest him or report the shooting, what will happen to him? And what do I do about these two?" Kane pointed to Dylan and Stan. "Not to mention my cruiser is all shot up."

Kai looked at the men, his lips pursed and his eyes dark. "I will deal with them. Don’t worry, Sheriff." He walked over to the cruiser, his gazed locked on both men. He pulled on the door handle and when it didn’t open, he asked, "Can you unlock the car for me?"

Kane clicked the button on his key chain that would unlock the cruiser. "And the hunter?"

Tao ran a hand through his dark hair and sighed. "We’ll have to figure out a way to keep him from bothering us again."

Kai opened the back door of the cruiser and ducked his head inside. Coming back out, he said, "Yep, they’re dead. Smells like silver in there, too."

Tao heaved a big sigh. "Well, let’s clean this mess up." He nodded to Leo, who went to Tao’s truck and pulled out a blue tarp.

"What are you doing?" Kane asked.

"Whatever we do, we keep humans out of this, and that means no dead bodies." Tao helped Leo spread out the tarp, and the two brothers quickly moved the bodies out of the cruiser and onto the blue plastic. Working together, they rolled them up tight and then carried them over to the back of Tao’s pick-up.

"People are still going to see the bullet holes," Kane protested. "And those men deserve a decent burial."

"I’ll take care of it," Kai said. Raising his arm, he punched his fist through the back passenger window. Shuffling around to the other side of the cruiser, he did the same on that side. With a nod to Kane, he said, "See? No bullet holes now."

Kane just gaped at the man, at a loss for words. Jagged cubes of safety glass covered the ground, and his cruiser looked ready for the junkyard.

"Easy, Sheriff," Tao said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Kai's right. The less humans know, the better."

"My cruiser," Kane growled. "It's ruined." He'd scrimped and saved for five years to save enough in his budget to buy the thing. It was only a year old and far too young to have so many bullet holes.

"It's fixable," Leo said, his smile encouraging. "It'll be good as new after a few days in the body shop."

Kane looked at the three brothers, his eyes wide. "And what do I tell everyone at the station? My cruiser’s trashed, and their truck is stranded? What do I say?" Kane could just see it now. Someone would find out the truth and he would lose his job. He’d never had to lie before. Now everything depended on it.

"Tell them you took the men into custody, which is true, right? And you also went into the woods to see if they’d really hit a wolf, which is also true," Tao said.

Kane nodded, relaxing a fraction.

"When you came out, someone shot at you, took the men and ran. That’s all you know." Tao laid a hand on Kane’s shoulder. "That’s all you need to say."

"Let the humans run in circles trying to figure it out. It’ll keep them busy and not seeing anything important," said Kai.

"They’ll be found, eventually, but not here. Out of town somewhere. We’ll figure something out so they can get back to their families. This is just a stop-gap while we deal with the hunter." Tao looked at the men’s truck and frowned. "I don’t want to leave that here. Kai, go see if the keys are in the ignition."

Kai ambled toward the truck and gave a thumbs-up. "The keys are there."

"Good," Tao said. "We don’t have to dig through dead men's pockets for them." He nodded to Kai. "Okay, here’s the plan. Kai, you take the truck out, far away somewhere and ditch it. Wolf it back home."

"Got it," Kai said.

"Leo and I will take the hunter and stash the bodies somewhere until it’s safe for them to be found," Tao said.

Kane just blinked. He was a cop. Police procedure was everything, and this whole thing was now so far off the books it was in outer space. "Well, if we don’t want any more witnesses, I suggest we get moving. We can’t leave people lying in the road without raising questions." Kane looked down each end of the road. So far, it was empty, which was a small blessing, but one he knew they couldn’t count on. "And someone probably heard the shots and called them in. I might not be the only cop here for long."

"Yeah," Charlotte said with a nod of agreement. "That’s why I came out. I heard all the gunfire. I can’t be the only one."

"Well, then, let's not waste time," Leo said. He bent down and grabbed the hunter by the armpits, hauling him up to his knees so he could drag him over to Tao's truck.

Kai sidled up to Kane and, leaning in, the eccentric brother said, "You should really learn to listen to the wind."

"Why? What did it say about me?" Kane asked, humoring him.

"Fate is stirring inside your soul." Kai whirled a finger in the air.

"Did it say anything about the shooter?"

Kai nodded. "It sang to me this morning that there was a shadow over us."

"And from that you knew this hunter guy was looking for us?" Kane frowned.

"Not until I saw him," Kai said, seeming unaware of how little help the wind had been.

"I don’t get it," Kane said.

Kai patted the sheriff on the shoulder. "You’re not supposed to. Just listen to me. I’ll keep you out of trouble."

Chapter Ten

As it turned out, Kai couldn't keep any of them out of trouble, no matter how many promises he made. A shout from Tao caused them to both turn. Kane’s stomach clenched at what he saw. The shooter had woken up and caught everyone unaware. He battled both Tao and Leo, his fists moving so fast they were a blur. It was way faster than any human should be able to move, and recalling what Tao had said, Kane realized the shooter may not be a shifter, but he was more than human.

Pulling his gun, Kane yelled out, "Freeze or I’ll shoot!" To Charlotte, he said, "Get behind the cruiser."

She shook her head and stayed where she was. "I’m a wolf, too, remember? Super strong and everything. I don’t need to hide."

"She’s right," Kai said.

Meanwhile, the shooter had ducked behind Tao, slamming his fists into the big man’s kidneys. Leo came up behind the shooter and did his best to knock the man out with another punch to the head, but he seemed to sense the hit coming and twisted away just before it connected with his temple. Everyone was so intertwined and moving so fast that Kane didn't dare pull the trigger. All he could do was watch and hope for an opening.

The shooter then came back with an upper cut that Leo tried to dodge, but he was too late and the shooter's fist slammed into his chin. His head snapped back, his blond hair swinging with the force of the hit. Leo staggered back a few steps and then fell, unable to hold his ground.

The shooter returned his attention to Tao, who had spun around to face him. They grappled and, for a long moment, were evenly matched, but Tao’s strength began to prevail. With a roar, the big alpha grabbed the shooter’s shirt and lifted him up until his feet were dangling in the air.

That turned out to be a mistake because it just allowed the shooter to kick at Tao’s stomach and chest. His feet slammed into Tao's gut, forcing the air from the big alpha's lungs. With a grunt, Tao dropped the man, pouncing on top of him and doing his best to bang the shooter’s head against the pavement. The sound of groans and expletives filled the air as they grappled with each other. Kane kept his gun at the ready, looking for a clear shot, but not finding one.

"Aren’t you going to help?" he asked Kai, thinking one more brother might tip the fight in their favor.

Kai shook his head. "It’s pointless."

"We should do something," Charlotte said. She stepped forward, only to have Kai draw her back.

"She’s right. We can’t let him get away," Kane said, not liking that once again he was stuck in an out-of-control situation. He was torn between ditching his gun and jumping into the fray, and staying where he was. Weapons were an upper hand in most fights. Even if a shot hadn’t presented itself just yet, it would eventually. He’d broken up enough fights and busted enough gang members to know that.

"Save your energy." Kai put an arm out, pushing Kane back as well. "He’s going to get away."

"What?"

Kai shrugged. "It’s not his time."

"Did the wind tell you that, too?" Kane squinted, trying to follow the action.

Kai didn’t answer because Tao and Leo began shouting and yowling. The sound was sudden and full of pain. Something bad had happened. Kane started forward and then stopped short as he realized why the two brothers were screaming.

The shooter had stabbed them with knives. He’d nailed them right above their knee-caps with inhuman precision, causing both men to drop to the ground.

Kai darted past Kane then, heading for the shooter, a growl springing from his lips. There was a split second where Kane had a shot, and then Kai was in the way, launching himself on the shooter.

"Damn it," Kane muttered to himself. Kai was shifter strong, but not as strong as his brothers and nowhere near a match for the shooter. Kane tucked his gun into its holster and rushed over to help however he could.

Tao and Leo had already removed the blades from their knees and cast them aside. Even though they couldn’t stand, they did their best to have Kai’s back. Kane jumped into the mix, swinging his fists with a speed that surprised him. It was the first fight he’d been in since turning into a werewolf, and he found himself miscalculating speed versus target. His blows only hit air until he corrected for his new super speed.

Realizing he was out-numbered, the shooter began edging back, one step at a time. He threw Kai to the ground and moved away. Tao and Leo kept after him, dragging their bad legs behind them. Just then, Kane was the only one who could keep up. He managed to land a punch in the shooter’s stomach and a glancing blow to his face, but the full force of his strength couldn’t keep up with the shooter’s retreat. Every time his fist connected, the shooter was already on his way out.

"You’re under arrest," Kane said.

The shooter shook his head. "This isn’t about human law, wolf."

Kane pulled his gun and steadied it over his other arm, wanting to be sure his shot would find its target. "Stop now or I’ll shoot." He never wanted to hurt anyone, but this asshole was begging for it. Plus, the paperwork would be easier than the testimony.

"Then do it," roared the shooter. He charged Kane, and before the sheriff could react, he was too close. The man grabbed Kane’s shirt and then rammed him with a head-butt that left him reeling. He staggered back and fell, clutching his head as he went down. Kane had never experienced such brute force, not even when he’d had to tackle a guy strung out on PCP back in his rookie days.

This was the kind of strength that could kill without a weapon, and it carried a fury that Kane couldn’t fathom. When his vision cleared, Kane staggered to his feet, intent on finding the shooter and finishing this, but he was gone, as if he’d never been there.

"Where the hell did he go?" Kane asked as he turned in a slow circle. "And how did one guy take all four of us on and win?" He went to shake his head, but stopped when his brain started sloshing around in his skull like an overfilled Slurpee cup.

Kai slowly pulled himself to his feet. "Hunters are stronger than I realized."

"Faster, too," Leo said, groaning as he put weight on his injured leg for the first time.

"You think?" Tao growled more than spoke as he examined his knee. "He got his knife right under my patella. I couldn’t even bend my leg."

"Yeah, these were calculated strikes, not just to injure, but to incapacitate." Leo picked up one of the knives in question and examined it. "Smells like silver, too."

"What’s the deal with silver? Is it like the myths?" Kane asked. "Does it kill us?"